The South Arkansas Arts Center board of directors is pleased to announce Laura Allen as the new executive director. A resident of El Dorado, Laura will begin her new job on August 14, but will attend her first official event as executive director on Saturday, August 12.
A writer and editor, Laura began working with The Diamond Agency after moving to El Dorado in 2009, launching Cloud 9, the in-flight magazine of SeaPort Airlines in 2012 and El Dorado Insider’s Guide in 2013. A 2001 graduate of Hendrix College with a degree in English, she worked for statewide monthly magazine At Home in Arkansas from 2000 to 2009, beginning as an editorial intern and becoming editor in 2003. Under her leadership, the publication won a prestigious Bronze Award for General Excellence from the City and Regional Magazine Association in 2004.
A native of Jonesboro, Laura and her husband, Sam, have two daughters and are active members of First Presbyterian Church. She chairs the Dental Health Play as a member of El Dorado Service League, and has served on the Visual Arts Committee of the South Arkansas Arts Center. She was appointed by Governor Mike Huckabee as the consumer member of the Arkansas State Board of Registered Interior Designers and served on the Hendrix College Alumni Board of Governors.
The community is invited to welcome her to her new position at the August art reception being hosted in the Price and Merkle Galleries. The reception will be held from 6:00-8:00pm.